Eco-Friendly Writing

Every year at back-to-school time, I like to drop into the office supply stores and see what’s new. I’m a pathetic creature, really. Shambling up and down the aisles, I maintain the perpetual hope that I’ll stumble upon the perfect pen, pencil or notepad—one that will write my next book for me.

So far this magical office supply has eluded me. However, when I dropped into Staples yesterday morning, I did get one pleasant surprise:

I could go into detail about the merits of this new paper from Staples, but why do that when another blogger already wrote a detailed review?

Like most writers with a conscience, I experience periods of self-loathing over all of the trees I am personally responsible for killing to print drafts of my work. Since I also do a lot of first drafts in paper & pencil, I’ve always wanted to find some eco-friendly paper with which to do it.

“Why,” I’ve wondered, “isn’t paper made from a renewable resource–like hemp?”

I never even considered sugarcane.

This piece on Staples’ new bagasse-based line of notepaper products was so timely, and so relevant, that I went out yesterday and bought $10 bucks’ worth. Besides the quality of the paper, I was pleasantly surprised by the comparatively low cost (at least initial cost): 99 cents for two standard-sized legal pads.

We all need to send a message to paper manufacturers that we want to be more environmentally friendly. If all writers went out and purchased some of this stuff, it might be just enough incentive for the entire industry to reconsider using renewable resources for their products.